Foreshore facelift a hotly debated topic

THE debate about what should happen on Woolgoolga's foreshore and caravan park is set to heat up at a public meeting tomorrow night.

Coffs Harbour City Council is holding a public meeting on Wednesday to discuss the draft plan of management for Woolgoolga Beach and Holiday Park, which was released for public comment last week.

The proposed plans include the relocation of Woolgoolga Marine Rescue headquarters to Arrawarra, demolishing the surf club and moving it south to the current Marine Rescue building and changes to the Woolgoolga Beach Holiday Park including low-level bollard and chain fencing, new cabins, reducing the number of sites to 75 and upgrading facilities including the entry.

Other parts of the plan include demolishing existing public amenities to construct a new facility, as well as the addition and upgrade of public facilities such as barbecues, seating, showers, and pedestrian and cycle paths.

Coffs Harbour City Council's manager of holiday parks and reserves, Jason Bailey, met with the Woolgoolga and Northern Beaches Chamber of Commerce this week to discuss the plans.

"At the meeting Mr Bailey discussed the key concepts contained within the plan with the group including the reduction in holiday park sites by 30% to facilitate increased public open space and improving the pedestrian linkages and vistas between the town centre and the beach - a map of this improvement is available as part of the plan which is currently on public display," vice-president Tegan Ewart said.

However, the group Save Woopi Beach - formed in the months leading up to the release of the plan - has come out with all guns firing against the proposed plans.

They claim sites at the caravan park will be reduced by 40% and it will have knock-on effects for business in town.

They also claim there won't be an area where you can lay a picnic rug or beach towel that isn't within five metres of a path, car park or building or overlooked by villas, and are fiercely opposed to the demolition of the current surf club building and are calling for studies into having it heritage listed.

"They are doing this so they can more than double the current average night fee for the park," member John Fielding said.

"Affordable family holidays at the beach will be gone."

Woolgoolga Surf Life Saving Club president Les Pepper said he and other representatives from the club would be in attendance at the public meeting and encouraged all locals with an interest in the plan to do the same.

"We will also be holding public meetings following this one specifically to talk about what is planned for the surf club," he said.

The meeting will be held at Yeates Hall at Woolgoolga Public School on Wednesday at 5.15pm.

"This is an information evening and will be presented by the people who have put together the plan - all questions can be answered on this evening; everyone is encouraged to attend," Mrs Ewart said.

"We would encourage all to make their own assessment via the plan and the public information session."

Submissions can be made to Jason.bailey@chcc.nsw.gov.au or alternatively you can email woolgoolgachamber@gmail.com by August 8.

SEE THE PLAN

The plan is available for download from www.chcc.nsw.gov.au or hard copies are available from Woolgoolga Beach Holiday Park, Woolgoolga Library and Emerald Beach Holiday Park.

The meeting will be held at Yeates Hall at Woolgoolga Public School on Wednesday at 5.15pm.